UNHCR's Ireland office to lose several positions in Dublin
Irish based staff have been informed of the impacts affecting the Irish branch but have been reassured that the UNHCR will remain a national office and it will maintain a presence in Ireland.
It is understood that the staff cuts will come into effect by September.
The US President Donald Trump has scaled back American commitments as the world's single largest aid donor by slashing US aid programs.
The United States Agency for International Development has recently been formally wound down after 83% of its programs were cancelled earlier this year.
In a statement issued to RTÉ News, a spokesperson said that the UNHCR will continue its work with and on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers in line with its mandate.
As part of the agency's broader cost-cutting measures, UNHCR has had to close or downsize offices worldwide and implement a nearly 50% reduction in senior positions at its Geneva headquarters and regional bureaus.
In total, approximately 3,500 staff positions will be discontinued.
Overall, UNHCR estimates a global reduction in staffing costs of around 30%.
Humanitarian agencies have warned that 14 million lives could be lost due to President Trump's aid cuts.
UNHCR's recently published Global Trends Report shows that the number of people uprooted by war is at decade high levels. The report calls for continued funding of UNHCR programmes that save lives, reinforce basic infrastructure and services in host countries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Elon Musk launches new political party to give America ‘freedom back' after explosive row with Trump & White House exit
ELON Musk has launched a new political following his explosive row with President Donald Trump. The billionaire has promised to "give back your freedom" via a post on X today. Advertisement 2 Elon Musk has reportedly launched his own political party following a furious feud with President Trump Credit: AFP 2 The billionaire has promised to give Americans back their freedom Credit: AFP It comes after Musk created an online poll on July 4 where he asked his followers if he should spearhead a fresh political party. Of those polled, over 65% answered 'yes', which paved the way for the announcement. "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!" he wrote. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Advertisement "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." It comes as Musk deleted a post on X last month claiming Trump had been named in the so-called "Epstein files". He had tweeted that Trump "is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public." The former allies were locked in an escalating war of words for days - throwing insults at each other in an explosive dispute. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive When Trump was asked about a possible call with Musk to calm tensions, he told ABC News: 'You mean the man who has lost his mind?' 'Not particularly,' he added when pressed on whether he planned to speak to the billionaire. The rift appears rooted in Trump's prized One Big Beautiful Bill Ac - a domestic spending package Musk has branded as a "disgusting abomination". The president hit back - reportedly threatening to strip Musk's companies of federal subsidies. Advertisement Musk also called for Trump's impeachment in June as the pair's relationship crashed and burned. The announcement of the new political party from Musk comes after President Donald Trump signed a tax-cut and spending bill into law on Friday, which the billionaire chief executive officer of Tesla fiercely opposed. Musk spent hundreds of millions on Trump's re-election and led the Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration aimed at slashing government spending, but the two have since fallen out over disagreements about the bill. Trump earlier this week threatened to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Musk's companies receive from the federal government. Advertisement Read more on the Irish Sun Musk said previously that he would start a new political party and spend money to unseat lawmakers who supported the bill. Republicans have expressed concern that Musk's on-again, off-again feud with Trump could hurt their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.
RTÉ News
33 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Elon Musk says he has created a new US political party
Elon Musk, a former ally of US President Donald Trump, said he has launched a new political party in the United States to challenge what the tech billionaire described as the country's "one-party system". "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!" he said in a post on X. "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." The announcement from Mr Musk comes after President Donald Trump signed a tax-cut and spending bill into law yesterday, which the billionaire chief executive officer of Tesla fiercely opposed. Mr Musk spent hundreds of millions on President Trump's re-election and led the Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration, aimed at slashing government spending, but the two have since fallen out over disagreements about the bill. Mr Trump earlier this week threatened to cut off the billions of dollars in subsidies that Elon Musk's companies receive from the federal government. Mr Musk said previously that he would start a new political party and spend money to unseat politicians who supported the bill. Republicans have expressed concern that Mr Musk's on-again, off-again feud with President Trump could hurt their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Eight men deported from US arrive in war-torn South Sudan
Eight men deported from the United States in May and held under guard for weeks at a US military base in the African nation of Djibouti while their legal challenges played out in court have now reached the Trump administration's intended destination, war-torn South Sudan, a country the US State Department advises against travel to due to 'crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict'. The immigrants from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan arrived in South Sudan on Friday after a federal judge cleared the way for the Trump administration to relocate them in a case that had gone to the Supreme Court, which had permitted their removal from the US. Administration officials said the men had been convicted of violent crimes in the US. This was a win for the rule of law, safety and security of the American people 'This was a win for the rule of law, safety and security of the American people,' said Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a statement announcing the men's arrival in South Sudan, a chaotic country in danger once more of collapsing into civil war. The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the transfer of the men who had been put on a flight in May bound for South Sudan. That meant that the South Sudan transfer could be completed after the flight was detoured to a base in Djibouti, where they men were held in a converted shipping container. The flight was detoured after a federal judge found the administration had violated his order by failing to allow the men a chance to challenge the removal. The court's conservative majority had ruled in June that immigration officials could quickly deport people to third countries. The majority halted an order that had allowed immigrants to challenge any removals to countries outside their homeland where they could be in danger. A flurry of court hearings on Independence Day resulted a temporary hold on the deportations while a judge evaluated a last-ditch appeal by the men's before the judge decided he was powerless to halt their removals and that the person best positioned to rule on the request was a Boston judge whose rulings led to the initial halt of the administration's effort to begin deportations to South Sudan. By Friday evening, that judge had issued a brief ruling concluding the Supreme Court had tied his hands. The men had final orders of removal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have said. Authorities have reached agreements with other countries to house immigrants if authorities cannot quickly send them back to their homelands.
